Backplanes Spotlight
Backplanes Spotlight shows what your Claude Code/Codex are doing
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What is Backplanes Spotlight?
Backplanes Spotlight is a tool that reads your Claude Code and Codex sessions to generate automatic session reports, helping you see what your AI agent actually did during coding sessions. The tool watches every move your agent makes and provides quick feedback on what's worth keeping, what needs fixing, and where you can save time in future runs.
Key features include automatic session capture when sessions end, local redaction that strips PII and credentials before data leaves your laptop, reports that highlight items needing review versus business-usual activities, and support for macOS, Linux, and WSL 2 through a simple CLI installation. The tool sees files the agent touched, commands it ran, domains and APIs it reached, and MCP servers, Skills, and subagents it loaded, while nothing outside Claude Code and Codex sessions is monitored.
Spotlight is designed for individual developers and teams who use AI coding agents like Claude Code and Codex. It's built by leaders and practitioners from companies like Valimail and Algolia who have experienced the visibility problem with AI agents firsthand. The tool helps solo developers and teams get recursively better by providing feedback mechanisms, not just audit trails.
Backplanes Spotlight pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Spotlight is free for individual developers and the teams they work on: no seats to count, no trial clock, no credit card required. If you're rolling it out across a whole org and need attribution, volume, or specific controls, the Backplanes team will set it up together with you. Spotlight is free and you are not the product - they make money when teams choose to pay for control and advanced features. Paid features and automations come later.
Backplanes Spotlight pros
- Free for individuals and teams with no seats to count
- No credit card required to sign up
- No trial clock - permanently free for individual developers
- One-line CLI installation
- Auto-captures sessions automatically when they end
- Local redaction strips PII and credentials before anything leaves your laptop
- You stay in flow without interruption
- No OAuth into Anthropic or OpenAI required
- CLI only reads sessions after they finish
- Works with macOS, Linux, and WSL 2
- Quick feedback on what's worth keeping and what to fix
- Reports tell you which need review and which you can scroll past
- First report appears after your next completed session (about 2 minutes)
- Zero data retention at the LLM layer with Anthropic and OpenAI
- Server-side re-scrubbing adds extra security layer
- Per-field encryption with keys bound to org, session, and event
- Delete a session and data leaves their systems completely
- Built by security and dev tools professionals from Gmail, Valimail, Twilio, Algolia
Backplanes Spotlight cons
- Only supports Claude Code and Codex sessions currently
- Does not see sessions on other AI tools not yet supported
- Does not monitor other repos, terminals, or apps outside sessions
- Does not see your filesystem, email, browser, or calendar
- Does not see files your agent never opened
- First report only appears after session completes (not real-time)
- Organization-wide attribution and volume controls require contacting team
- Paid features and automations come later (not available yet)
Frequently asked questions about Backplanes Spotlight
What does Spotlight see and what doesn't it see?
Spotlight sees what your coding agents do inside Claude Code and Codex sessions only. It sees files the agent touched, commands it ran, domains and APIs it reached, and MCP servers, Skills, and subagents it loaded. It doesn't see anything outside those sessions: other repos, other terminals, other apps, your filesystem, email, browser, calendar, sessions on AI tools we don't yet support, or files your agent never opened.
How do I install Spotlight?
Install the CLI with one line: curl -fsSL https://www.backplanes.com/spotlight/install.sh | sh. Works with macOS, Linux, and WSL 2. Authenticates in your browser, creates your team account, and starts capturing sessions as they finish.
When do I get my first report?
Your first report appears after your next completed session. Spotlight captures sessions automatically when they end, and your first report lands about two minutes after session completion.
Is Spotlight free for teams?
Yes, Spotlight is free for individual developers and the teams they work on: no seats to count, no trial clock, no credit card required. It's free for you and your team.
How does Spotlight handle my sensitive data?
Sensitive material gets redacted on your machine first: secrets via vendored gitleaks rules, PII in a second pass. You can see what was stripped in your local log. What reaches them is re-scrubbed server-side, then encrypted per-field with keys bound to your org, your session, and the specific event.
Does Spotlight use OAuth with Anthropic or OpenAI?
No, there is no OAuth into Anthropic or OpenAI. The CLI only reads sessions after they end.
What is the data retention policy?
Zero retention always on at the LLM layer. When Spotlight uses an LLM for analysis, providers like Anthropic and OpenAI are configured for zero data retention - your session content goes through the model, the report comes back, and the provider keeps nothing. This is set up contractually at the API tier. You can also delete sessions and data leaves their systems.
Do they sell or share my data?
No, your data is never for sale. They don't sell what your agents capture, and they don't share it with advertisers or AI labs.
What happens when I delete a session or account?
Delete a session, a project, or your account, and the underlying data leaves their systems. Except where retention is required by law or regulation.
Who built Spotlight and why?
Spotlight was built by leaders and practitioners from Valimail and Algolia, backed by HF0. The team has spent their careers in security and dev tools across Gmail, Valimail, Twilio, and Algolia. They built it because they experienced the visibility problem with AI agents themselves - leaked credentials, pushes to production caught by accident - and realized everyone deserves to know what their agents are doing.